Timing of Route K news ‘cynical election bribe’

NZ Independent Coalition candidate for
Tauranga, Michael O’Neill slammed the timing of today’s
announcement on Route K as a cynical election bribe. He
asked how high the tolls are going to rise.

“The sole
reason for an announcement 33 days before the election is
that John Key thinks Simon Bridges and Todd Muller are at
risk of losing the Tauranga and Bay of Plenty seats,” he
said.

“The reality is that the only effective MP in the
area, NZ Independent Coalition Leader Brendan Horan, has
been on the case of Route K for 18 months.

“Brendan has
asked many Questions in the House, he has spoken on it in
the Budget Debate and at other times, he has met the
Minister and he has met NZTA officials. Brendan Horan has
repeatedly called for NZTA to take over both Route K and the
debt,” said Michael O’Neill.

On 23 October 2013 in
Parliament, Brendan predicted what happened today: “Why
has [Route K] not been handed over to the New Zealand
Transport Agency? Are we going to wait until just before the
election?”

The great news for ratepayers is that
Tauranga will be free of the $10,000/day interest cost of
the debt. What today’s announcement is silent on is how
much the Route K tolls are going to be. Will they rise to
the high level of the Tauranga Eastern Link? Or will tolls
rise even higher? That question must be answered.

Michael
O’Neill also says today’s news highlights another broken
promise. “Six years ago John Key stood in Tauranga and
promised a four-lane link from Cameron Road to the Hairini
Roundabout. Not only has nothing happened, National have
abandoned that promise.

“Voters would do far better to
give their candidate votes locally to Michael O’Neill and
Brendan Horan, and their party vote to NZ Independent
Coalition. We are offering political representation by
locals, for locals,” said Michael
O’Neill.

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